CHRISTIAN PARENTING by PASTOR GODWIN OKAFOR
The other time, I responded to a father’s concern that his kids do not have any interests in the things of God. He had wanted to know how others whose kids seem to have greater interests in the things of God have achieved their successes.
By God’s grace, and as ministerial time permits, I intend to share some spiritual insights which the LORD has enabled me to gather from His word over the years I have been on the pilgrim’s journey and in ministry.
The task of bringing up godly kids is a huge one, and lack of knowledge of God’s mind on this has resulted in all sorts of spiritual mishaps in this venture. So many Christian homes with beautiful Christian couples have made complete shipwreck of parenting.
In this first write up on Parenting Tips, I wish to call the attention of Christian parents that ours is a spiritual walk, and anything we do, including parenting, must be guided by spiritual principles. And since the spiritual knowledge of the Christian comes from the word of God (John 6:63), we must turn often to it, to discover the foundation of raising godly kids.
However, the fundamental question we need to deal with, first and foremost, is: How many Christians are spiritual, or how many Christian parents raise their kids according to God’s mind on the issue? I hope I will not be misunderstood here. Knowledge of the Bible, “the letter” of it, does not suffice. The application of God’s word holds the key in making godly homes, and then raising godly kids in such godly homes. The formula could go like this: godly couples = to godly homes; godly homes = godly kids. And of course, godly kids = godly society, et cetera.
I have seen may Christian homes who started their journey with carnal considerations, thereby violating God’s rules of holiness in starting up godly families. One of these is the placing of emphasis on what a man has accumulated before proposing marriage to a Christian lady, and in fact, his capability to support the carnal needs after the marriage. What of the Christian man who looks for beautiful Christian sisters who work in banks or other such places, have cars, or who must be well educated and have rich parents.
Or the more sinful ones (in our sight), of those who want to ensure that the intending couples are “compatible” (whatever that means), before marriage. What of those who want to make sure that the lady would have children for the family after marriage? I have been told of ladies who would make sure that their future husbands could get them pregnant before they agree to marry them.
Let me ask us, would God’s favour rest in such homes later, when they face the challenge of unruly or ungodly kids? When the foundation of the home is destroyed from the onset, why hope to raise godly children? The “god” the couple served before marriage would certainly seek to dominate the home thereafter. (See Psalm 11:13). What can the righteous do? Repent, do restitution, and ask God for mercy, and ask Him to show you how to remedy the situation. Surely, such children would have encounters with Jehovah, if their parents seek the LORD in repentance.
I will continue from here in my next write up. I appreciate those who are concerned in this issue of Christian Parenting, especially Sister Emem, with that broad smile. Remain blessed all of you.
Forgotten Sacrifices II?
Forgotten Sacrifices (II) ? Author: Esther Agbi
King David would not give to God anything that cost him nothing [2Sam 24:24]!
This is in line with giving something special. That is the right attitude. No little wonder
God testified that David was a man after His Heart!
Cornelius was another man whose offering stood out [Acts 10]….. “Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God”, an angel of God told him. This is very fascinating! His prayers and offerings were stored up for future blessings. God remembered Cornelius. He and his household were blessed.
There is a Lady I know of who loves offering sacrifices to God even when she does not have. As her story goes, a man of God called for the members to give sacrificially to foreign missions, assisting refugees. She had no money at the time to donate, but somehow, material goods were being accepted. She had this beautiful and costly attire with shoes and jewelry to match. She contemplated for a long time because she really loved the attire. Finally, she decided to give it up as a sacrifice for foreign missions. A prayer was said that day, according to her, she never thought that she would ever be in that situation in her life time because she was very comfortable at the time. The Man of God prayed that no one who has given towards the missions would ever become a refugee in a foreign land.
Somehow, after many years, this lady found herself as a refugee in a foreign land. She remembered that prayer, and I believe that God remembered that prayer too because she was set free from that situation and now a Citizen of that country. That prayer by the Man of God was stored up for a future blessing. God is the same yesterday, today and forevermore.
The Lord will remember you and me for greater blessings in Jesus Name.
It is good for us to give to the Lord because we care. Give because you love, give because God demonstrated it by giving his only SON Jesus to die for us. Give because God instructed us to do so [Luke 6:38] and there is a reward. God will remember someday. It may not be in your life time, maybe your children or generations down the line.
Sacrifice may not be monetary only. It could be just a smile, a nice compliment that is sincere, or a phone call to brighten someone else’s day, a quiet prayer for someone you know or don’t know. You could sacrifice your talent or your time even when it is not convenient. That is why it is called a sacrifice. If it were convenient, it would not have been called a sacrifice. When Jesus gave his life for us, it was not convenient. That is love.
Solomon gave a sacrifice, and God asked him what he wanted [1 Kings 3:5]. Has God ever testified of your offering/sacrifice? Has He asked you what you wanted after you gave your offering? The same questions I would ask myself.
It is good to ask from God, but it is better to be asked by God what we want. I believe that the Lord is working on us all and he will grant us wisdom to work in line with HIM in Jesus Name.
My prayer for you is that the Lord remember all your offerings in whatever form you have given to Him in support of His kingdom and that He fulfill all your heart desires in Jesus name [Psalm 20:3, 5], Amen.
Forgotten Sacrifices?
Forgotten Sacrifices? Author: Esther Agbi
Heb. 11:4b “God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaks.”
I was reading about Abel’s sacrifice when this title of my write up came up in my mind. I pondered over it for a little while before I finally accepted to put it down in writing. This is a topic people don’t usually like to talk about because whenever it is brought up, everybody gets jittery, saying there must be a great need in the body of Christ that needs to be addressed in other for them to give what is substantial to God. This is not always the case. I believe it is an opportunity to be blessed by God.
Sacrifice, according to Webster’s dictionary means “An act of offering something special to a deity”. Offering, on the other hand means a “sacrifice ceremonially offered as part of a worship. It sounds interesting to me. For the purpose of this article, I will use both words interchangeably.
Deity here refers to God, the creator of the universe. The offering has to be given willingly for it to be a sacrifice, and special too [2 Cor. 8:12]. I believe so many people gave sacrifices to God in the Bible but a few to my knowledge were outstanding. Abel offered not just a great sacrifice, but an excellent one. The best he could ever offer. It did not end there. God had to talk about Abel’s gift. When Abel was dead, his gifts spoke to God. How amazing! I don’t know if I have ever given a gift or offering to God, that the creator of the vast universe is still deliberating on, or has become an item on the agenda of the meeting of the Godhead. That is yet to be revealed. What about yours?
Abraham was ready to offer his only promised child Isaac, whom he loves to God.
How precious was that sacrifice in the eyes of God? In the real sense, he had already sacrificed Isaac in his mind. He had gone past the stage of contemplating, should I do or should I not do it? How do I know this? Heb.11:19. Abraham believed that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead if he was sacrificed. Abraham did not only believe in God, God believed in Abraham, for HE said in [Gen 22:12b], “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” God is not asking us to make human sacrifices. Jesus has made the ultimate sacrifice. It is a good thing to believe in God, it is greater when God believes in you. This shows dependability. I am still a “work” in progress. I don’t know about you.
………….. To be continued.
Heaven
The Lord Bless you and keep you.
2012 MY YEAR OF VICTORY AND LIBERTY IN CHRIST
2012 MY YEAR OF VICTORY AND LIBERTY IN CHRIST
2 Cor 2:14-15a 14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. 15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ.
Gal. 5:1 1Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Praise Worship:
Confession Scripture: Psalm 103:1-5
Text: Psalm 93
1. Praise Him for who He is using the verses of Psalm 93
2. Offer praises to Him for His salvation & divine protection for you and your loved ones in 2011
3. Praise Him for His help and being there for you all through the year 2011
4. Thank God for your successes, special blessings, and specific testimonies of 2011
5. Thank God for keeping you in divine health & meeting all your needs [pray, using Psalm 103:1-5]
6. Ask God for more wisdom in 2012. Pray that God should make your heart very wise in Jesus’ name.
7. Ask God for more grace to serve Him more faithfully in 2012.
Join us in Church to start the New Year on good spiritual footing in a prayer/worship service on Sunday January 1 2012 and Sunday January 8, 2012.
If you will like to participate in the church’s prayer and fasting program from Monday January 2 2012 to Sunday January 8 2012, please send an email to info@christwisdom.org and we will send you some prayer points.
Sunday Service Venue: Quality Inn, 501 11 Ave, Nisku, AB T9E 7N5 [Use the overpass of the Edmonton International Airport]
Come and Be Blessed.
Christ Our Wisdom & Power Pentecostal Church
Ph: 780-433-7600; e-mail: info@christwisdom.org
SWEET SAVOUR AND VICTORY IN CHRIST
SWEET SAVOUR AND VICTORY IN CHRIST
Text: 2 Corinthians 2:14-17
Please commit this Scripture to memory. It is very important if you do not want to start on the defeat line as a believer over and over again, or if you want to step up the ladder of spiritual victory and give your life to Christ for the first time.
“14Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of His knowledge by us in every place. 15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish: 16To the one we are the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? 17For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ [2 Cor. 2:14-17].”
This was the first Scripture, the Holy Spirit ministered to me when I began to lay the groundwork for this ministry, Christ our Wisdom and Power Missions. I meditate on this Scripture from time to time, and the Holy Spirit reminded me again, invigorating me with the Scripture, and telling me to share it with you. It always makes me exude great confidence that I am triumphant always in Christ, as long as I am in right standing with God. Jesus sweetens lives and as a disciple of Jesus, a Christian should manifest the power and radiate the glory of God in every place.
When Jesus was on earth, He healed the sick, raised the dead, healed the broken hearted, comforted those who were mourning and gave liberty to those who were in bondage, fulfilling the mission He was commissioned to do [Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-21]. How fragrant His life was!!! What does this mean? It means He touched the lives of those He met in a positive way. Some became saved and others who refused to believe became condemned because they refused to believe in the only begotten Son of God. As the Son of man, Christ was anointed and consecrated with the Holy Spirit by God. The Holy Spirit gave Him strength, and empowered Him for the works He did. He forgave sins, healed the sick, and raised the dead, the same thing He can do today [Heb. 13:8]. His resume as the Son of God was all written with victory after victory, culminating in the victory over Satan and the Host of hell when He died on the Cross of Calvary and rose again the third day. He went back to heaven triumphantly and will come again to judge the living and the dead. Are you ready to meet Him?
Of His mission on earth, the Amplified bible reads.
38How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him [Acts 10:38].
Since He is the same, yesterday, to day and forever, He can meet you at the point of your need through the same power of the Holy Spirit that anointed Him. To the sick, if you believe and reach out by faith, He can heal you and your life becomes a testimony to others of the wonders He does.
To every believer, Jesus has deposited His powers in us to enjoy who He is and sweeten the lives of others with His knowledge by the power of the Holy Spirit. On earth, Jesus said to His disciples, “I will send the Holy Spirit and each one of you will do greater works because I go back to my Father in heaven [John 14:12, paraphrased]”. This was literarily fulfilled, after the day of Pentecost, in the life of Peter [his shadow healed the sick, Acts 5:15] and Paul [anointed handkerchief’s from him healed people, Acts 19:11-12]. The power of the Holy Spirit transformed their lives, becoming clean vessels in the hand of God. They brought fragrance in Christ to others in their missionary journeys, both to the saved and unsaved.
Figuratively, a person’s life is like salt. It can sweeten or destroy. My prayer is that the beauty of Jesus be seen in your life as you savour His knowledge and power in every place. Amen.
Prayer of Faith
To the unsaved, confess your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart. Tell Him you will not go back to your sins and old ways anymore [Read Rom. 10:9-10; Rom 6:23; 2 Cor.5:17].
To the saved affirm this prayer in your spirit-man.
“Lord I thank you for making me to be victorious in Christ. Thank you for the victories I have had in spiritual battles. Oh Lord, let my life continue to be a sweet fragrance, imparting the lives of others with the power of your Holy Spirit. Lord, I consecrate my life unto you. Make me, mould me, heal me, and use me for your kingdom to your glory. No part of my life shall be wasted anymore. I will live for Jesus day after day. Anoint me with your Spirit and power to do the works that you did and the greater works you promised that your disciples would do. Let my life minister grace to others in Jesus name. Amen.”